Oaktown Spice Shop has wowed the local community with their fresh and flavorful spices, salts, herbs, and teas ever since making its debut in Oakland’s Adams Point district in 2011. A second shop has since opened in Albany.
Owners John and Erica are spice connoisseurs. They recognized Oakland’s need for a place to purchase fresh and high-quality spices after moving to the city in 2009. Since the original store’s opening, Oaktown Spice Shop has become the go-to spice shop for restaurants, bars, food producers, and individuals who love to cook.
The business focuses on sourcing the absolute best-tasting version of each individual spice that they can find, which entails working with hundreds of different importers. Spices are ground in the shop every week or two. This means that the ground spices customers find at Oaktown are bursting with flavor, and are far fresher than those found elsewhere.
Their spice blends are signature recipes, hand-mixed in the shop using freshly ground spices. Some, like their Santa Fe Chili Powder, are personalized versions of well-known favorites, while others, such as the Grand Lake Shake or Umami Sea Salt, are their own inventions, born of curiosity and adventures in the kitchen.
